Behind Closed Doors
by labrinthine
Summary: Lightning's father has come to town, everyone likes him! But is everything what it seems? Warnings: language, physical abuse, neglect, violence, adult themes. Trying out writing some darker themes, read at your own risk and please no hate :(
1. Stranger

It was a nice, sunny day in radiator springs. A small breeze blew through the rocks and plains, rustling up dirt but cooling the grateful inhabitants as well. Visitors had slowed to an smooth lull and Flo sat back easily enough as few customers were coming in. Sally had time to spare too, it seemed to be a ghost town that particular day, with a few stragglers coming in around noon. Mater had taken off to tow some Lemon from the state line and Fillmore had decided to tag along while Red was lightly watering his flowers and dancing around. Luigi set Guido up outside their store with the arrow sign again despite the lack of visitors, and Sarge sat with Lizzie while she played some of her old records. Lightning and Doc had gone to the dirt tracks for practice, passing by a grumpy Sheriff who woke up without any coffee.

All in all it was a very peaceful day.

And then the car rolled in.

It was an expensive black Lamborghini painted with realistic lightning bolt patterns along its hood and side, the number 48 stood out on the black with bold red lettering across the side. As it shut itself off Ramone opened up his shop door and stared in awe, but to be fair they all did. This was an expensive car to have, but the race number wasn't familiar, so it was up for debate whether this guy(or girl?) was a racer of not. The door opened and a tall, statue of a man stepped out. He was at least 6'1 with a strong jaw line and thick shoulders. His hair was a burnt-out looking red and his eyes were brown, his eyebrows were thick and graying at the edges. He was wearing a beat-up Racing Jacket with 48 across the back with several sponsor logos on it. A pair of Dog Tags shone in the sun and his black pants and combat boots completed the look to give him a rather intimidating air. He headed into Flo's V8 Cafe and Ramone and several others followed in curiosity.

He had sat down at the bar and ordered a simple plate of french fries and coffee, and as she cooked it she took her time to size up the man. He looked a bit like Doc with his laugh lines and crows feet, but held himself with an essence of arrogance and superiority that dug at her nerves. He smiled and laughed at any jokes she made, and she supposed she had judged too soon. Keeping up her waitress smile she slipped into 'Detective mode'.

"So, where are you from? You look like you've traveled a long way." His slicked-back hair had begun to fall into his face and the light purple bags underneath his eyes suggested an all-nighter to get here, if not more.

He grinned easily. "Born and raised in Kentucky, moved to Oklahoma when I was young, recently I've been out in Wyoming." He raised an eyebrow, "What about you?"

She shot him a look as if daring him to comment on her dark skin, but answered anyway, "I'm from Nevada."

He nodded in acceptance and continued to nibble on his fries, the bells on the door rung as the others tried to stealthily sneak in. He didn't even pass them a second glance.

"You a racer?" she asked, staring at him while she wiped down the counter. It was obvious he wasn't going to tell until she asked.

He chuckled gently, "Yes, I've actually one a couple of Piston cups myself. Lightning McQueen lives here, right? He's a big racing name now a days."

Flo smiled fondly, "Yeah. Kid was a mess of a man when I first met him. He's really improved himself since, and gotten around to winning 4 Piston cups. He's a great kid."

He swirled his coffee around in his cup, "Got any idea where I could find him? I haven't seen the kid in what seems like years..."

She blinked in confusion, "You know him?"

"Well, yeah." He grinned, "It'd be weird not to know my own son."

She almost dropped a cup in shock, "You're Lightnings dad!?"

He puffed out his chest a little in pride, "The one and only. Taught him everything he knows."

Still reeling from his confession she smiled weakly, "Well, he should be getting back real soon. He and Doc went out to the dirt track to practice. You could join them...?"

He shook his head, "I'm fine to wait, but if you don't mind me asking, are you that Sally girl?"

"Oh, no. My name if Flo! You haven't seen any pictures of them together?"

He smiled sheepishly, "I'm not exactly the best with technology, and it's been so long since Lightning has answered any of my phone calls..."

She nodded in understanding, but confusion pricked at the back of her mind. She sympathized with the technology thing as her own mother called her at least two times a week to ask her how to turn the laptop on, but she was in the dark about why Lightning would ignore his own Fathers phone calls... but she supposed that Lightning could get a little self-centered and arrogant. He had blatantly ignored calls from Sally and Mater, so she guessed his father wasn't any different. She frowned, a little upset at Lightning. His dad obviously cared about him, and it was cruel of him to ignore him for so long.

She also happened to know that Lightnings Mother had passed away when he was fifteen, so to ignore his father like that? How many days had he spent alone in his house leaving voicemails to a son who didn't care enough to reply? She thought Lightning had changed, but it seemed he still had a heartless streak in him...

"So... Uh, do you have a name...?"

"Oh my! How rude of me! My name is Donahue McQueen." He inclined his head in greeting, "Do you mind if I ask you to Introduce me to my son's sweetheart? I've been wanting to meet her ever since I saw her name!"

Sally, who had joined the group to spy on the man, stepped up and offered her hand, "That would be me! It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. McQueen."

He clasped her hand willingly and smiled, "Please, the pleasure is all mine! You seem like a fine young woman! I'm sure my son is treating you right?"

"Of course! He's a great guy and a romantic, I'm sure he gets that from you?"

He laughed short and sweet, "Far from it! My ideal date was a package of Chips Ahoy and the Lord of the Rings trilogy! He got all his romance from his mother," a sad look appeared in his eyes, "She was the one to make all the moves!"

Sally nodded solemnly, aware of how much he loved his wife. She could tell the pain was a dull ache in his chest, even after all these years...

Mater chose that moment to walk in with a jingle of the bells, he smiled brightly before jogging up, "Are you the guy with that cool car out there!?"

"Yes, Mater," Sally said, "and he's also Lightning father." Maters eyes got as big as dinner plates.

He blinked a couple of times, "There has been something I have always wanted to ask one of his parents!" He locked eyes with the man, "Is his name _really_ Lightning?"

He blinked, "...It was a family name."

"Well, shoot! I never believed him!" Mater grinned, "Guess I'll have to apologize!"

Mater smiled for a second, before jumping a little and glancing down at his watch, "Lightning and Doc should be back in just a few minutes!" He informed him, "Did you ever race against the Hudson Hornet? He's Lightning's coach now, and he's won three Piston Cups!"

"I wasn't born yet when the Hudson Hornet was racing, but my dad and him were acquaintances back in the day." He grimaced, "Then he had that horrible crash and disappeared... My dad never tried to find him or anything. Hope he doesn't find that insulting or anything..."

"Oh, I'm sure Doc doesn't hold a grudge!" Sally reassured him, smiling.

"How old are you?" Flo asked, Lightning was only twenty-one, so his father couldn't be that old.

"Forty Five," He smiled lightly, "And I should still be racing, but after Lilies passing... I guess I lost the passion. I did teach Lightning some basic mechanical skills, though."

"Lightning's pulled up, if you wanna go out and see him! He's checking out your car right now." Ramone said as he stood up, "I'm gonna go look at it too. It's a really nice car!" He stepped out.

Draining the last bits of his coffee, Donahue brushed off his pants and squared his shoulders before slowly making his way outside.

"...re's a surprise for you in the Cafe, go look!" Lightning turned around and locked eyes with Donahue McQueen. His Father.

A smile stretched across his face and he jogged over and into his fathers arms. Wrapping his arms around the Veteran Racer he squeezed tight. He had missed his Father no matter how many calls he ignored. Besides, even if he was angry at him he definitely wouldn't make a scene in front of people. His Father would be mad and he'd get in trouble, but there was no time for thoughts like that. He just had to enjoy the visit while it lasted! Detaching himself from his father he smiled up at him, making eye contact then breaking it swiftly, but in those twinkling brown eyes he could detect hints of hostility. It seemed that his good attitude was too good to be true.

His Father hadn't let go yet, but he did continue to squeeze until he heard the faint whine of pain. Then he released him quickly and patted him heavily on the shoulder. Donahue found it tiresome to keep up the loving family act, but knew that if people found out about the way he punished his child then they would turn the whole situation around and make him the bad guy. He huffed internally, he just needed to get him alone! Then he could properly be a father to his misguided son.

"Hey Dad! I didn't know you were dropping by!" Blue eyes carefully avoided brown ones, he knew he wasn't supposed to look his father in the eyes. That meant defiance, and defiance meant punishment.

"Well, you would if you had bothered to pick up my calls!" He may have sounded cheerful, but anyone within earshot would have heard the undercurrent of malice in his tone.

"Lightning...?" Doc called, making his way up to his racer, "Who's this?" He made to place his hand on the rookies shoulder but paused halfway when Lightning jerked away.

Surprise colored Doc's features and Lightning turned red, "Don't sneak up to me like that! You scared me!"

Doc had announced his presence when he had walked up, so how did he...? He felt a stirring in his gut, the one that told him something wasn't right... But Lightning's Father was a nice man, he introduced himself formally and shared stories of racing with Doc. There was no dark intent and he didn't ask Lightning for money, so what was the problem? He decided to ignore the feeling, he was probably just shaken up at how he had known this kids father-who turned out to be Sammy "the Studebaker." No wonder he had bad feelings, Donahue resembled the one who had knocked him off the track in '54. Strange how Lightning had never made him feel an uncomfortable as his Father.

Then Donahue asked Lightning if he wanted to ride in his Lamborghini, and they were off to who knows where. They didn't comeback until far, far later into the night.


	2. Red

It had been two days since Donahue McQueen came into town, and no one had seen Lightning for more than a few seconds before he was whisked off to another father-son moment with his dad. They rationalized that they needed some time alone to work out their problems,but their reuniting hug had seemed a bit one sided.

Sally huffed, "I don't get why Lightning has to isolate himself so much! I mean, he would shut himself in constantly with me, but his dad too?"

Flo frowned, "Maybe his Dad just reminds him of his mom? He was pretty young when she died, and she was Lightnings only confidant for a while... it must just be hard for him to talk to people after she died."

Sally rubbed at her temples, "I know. I just... I worry too much. If he bottles it all up he's going to explode."

Flo opened her mouth to reply when the tinkling of her bell caught her attention and her eyes widened, "Oh my- What happened to you?" She asked and Lightning cringed at her shout.

"There goes not making it a big deal..." he muttered.

"Oh sweetie!" Sally approached and reached out to brush her fingers across the black eye, he jerked back to avoid her fingers.

"What happened?" Flo asked again, curious., "Did you get into a fight?"

Lightning grinned in amusement, "I wish. That would have been a better story, but no I was just being a dumbass. I was out with my dad last night and I slipped on my _own_ jacket and banged my face on the hood of my car."

Sally giggled, "Really? How lame."

"I know!" He threw his arms in he air for emphasis.

Very faintly they could hear an engine in the distance, but not a car engine that's for sure. Sally smiled, knowing Mater would be in here any moment to announce the arrival of his spy friends. As if her thoughts summoned him, Mater's smiling face poked in as he called them all out to help greet them. Hopping off her bar stool she shot Flo and apologetic look and grabbed Lightning as they jogged off out the door. Sally hadn't really been to excited about her boyfriend knowing three dangerous spies, but that had quickly changed when she and Holley had formed a sisterly bond. Now She was just as excited as Mater when they came around.

Of course, she would never take Holley away from a date with Mater, but there were times when mater had to go out on a tow or wanted to hang out with Lightning and they would meet up to do things their boyfriends wouldn't. Like manicures (which didn't exactly apply to the no boyfriend thing, since Lightning actually got them quite often, but I digress) or chickfliks, and especially filling out magazine quizzes to find out if your Ryan Goslings' perfect girl or if you're a tom boy ect. ect. And it was nice to have Holley as a friend, Flo was awesome but could get a bit loud for Sally, but Holley's quite nature and fierce personality fit perfectly with hers.

She stopped when they reached the yellow tape that indicated where was too close to their makeshift landing spot, she jittered in excitement. She and Holley were friends, but it never stopped the rush of adrenaline when she remembered they were spies. Mater was on one side, bouncing slightly and smiling widely as they waited, and beside him was Fillmore and Sarge.

Sally would freely admit she had no idea how Siddeley, Fillmore, and Sarge made their relationship work, but they did. They were happy and content with it. No relationships are without fights and misunderstandings, but they always manage to solve them quicker. Every time they fight they learn something new about one another, an it only serves to bring them closer together. She was happy for them, they deserved some happiness.

She felt a tugging on her wrist and turned to look at her boyfriend, who gestured over his head to his Father that was standing a shot distance away looking baffled at the landing jet. She opened her mouth for a moment then thought better of it, he would never be able to hear her over the engine. She smiled, kissed him and motioned for him to go tell his dad about their friends. He smile and jogged over to him and began to quickly explain who they were and how they knew them.

The aircraft's engines cut and Finn, Holley, an Siddeley greeted their friends/lovers with hugs for some and kisses for others. It had been a surprisingly long mission, and they had gone over their estimate of how many days it would take. The entire town had been worrying nonstop about them and praying for their safety constantly, and the familiar engine noises had been quite a relief to hear. Sally turned to call Lightning over when she realized he was gone. He probably took his dad to a quieter location to explain, but she was still a little miffed and his abrupt departure.

* * *

Lightning had finally managed to get a moment alone. His father was not an early riser, which was a great advantage to him. It was currently 4:14 am, and Lightning had gone for a walk to clear his head. He had practice with Doc today, but lord knows he was gonna get dragged away by his father, who had become controlling and jealous of anyone Lightning spent time with. He supposed that he had a right to be this way, he was his Father after all. But he still had the feather touch of a thought that what was happening was wrong. No one he had every met had told him about their fathers hurting them, not to mention he was forbidden to speak of it. If everyone did it as his father claimed, then why was it a secret?

He realized his thoughts had led him to Stanleys statue. He wondered if Stanley every had problems like this, but dismissed the thought entirely. Stanley had founded his own town! He was a good son, so his Father must have loved him. He heard the sound of running water and jumped slightly, who else was up at this hour? Peeking around the statue he caught a bit of brown hair and smiled to himself. Leave it to Red to be up this early. The man was an oddity to him. The entire time Lightning had been here, he had never heard him say a single word. He quietly shuffled into view in an attempt not to scare him.

"Hey, Red." He called quietly, and frowned when Red jumped despite his efforts. He always felt bad when he scared him.

Red glanced up and smiled, then his eyes zeroed in on his black eye and immediately the smile fell. His eyes were filled with a deep sadness and pity. He dropped the hose and stepped over his flowers, reaching forward to trace the bruise, and Lightning... let him. His body screamed at him to jump away before Red hurt him too, but he knew that the gentle giant would not hurt a fly. His fingers were feather light and he looked like he was about to cry.

Lightning smiled shakily, "It- It's okay. ha ha." His laugh sounded fake even to his own ears, "I- uh- fell. I Slipped."

Red shook his head, hurt shown in his eyes at Lightnings' lie. His fingers sat lightly in the faded, barely noticeable hand print on his cheek. He knew what it was like to fear someone you had to love, he could remember tracing the handprints on his own body, and now he was tracing one on Lightning McQueen's face. Liquid fire poured into his veins and he knew exactly who had caused this bruise. He wondered if there were more.

Lightning connected the dots quickly, and felt his insides do a flip when he realizes that there was recognition on Red's face. He knew the wound from years of having them himself. The warmth of Reds' hand fell from his face and instead wrapped around his hands before shoving the flimsy material of his pajama shirt up, revealing his arms. The look on Red's face made him want to curl up in a corner and die.

Red was horrified by the amount of injuries covering just his arms, and then he was disgusted at his father. How could someone do this to their child?

Red stared Lightning in the eye's before tugging him towards the sheriff station, but stopped when he saw the panic in the racers eyes.

"Nononono no! It's fine, I'm fine. We don't have to get the police," Lightning pleaded, "Besides it's all my fault- if I wasn't such a fuck-up then I wouldn't have had to be punished-"

And suddenly Red was hugging him. Tears had sprung from his eyes, and his heart was breaking. How could Lightning believe it was his fault? How long had it taken Donahue to beat that into him? How long had he been getting hurt? Oh god, Red felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't make Lightning go to the police, but he could report it himself. He took a deep breath, having a clear plan helped him calm down. He pulled away to see that Lightning had a few tears running down his face too.

He took him by the shoulder and looked him in the eyes. He hadn't spoken a word since he had found refuge in Radiator Springs all those years ago, but he needed to hear this, "What's your father has done is not your fault. You don't deserve this." his voice was scratchy and weak.

Lightning was already shaking his head, refusing to accept what Red was telling him, "No, you're wrong-"

"Did I deserve to be beaten? Did I deserve to be starved and Isolated?" He asked him bluntly, trying to keep his own emotions at bay.

His eyes were wide, "No one deserves to be abused." He stated quietly, looking at the ground.

"Then what make you any different?" He questioned quietly. He obviously knew it was wrong to hit children like this, so why did he think himself any different?

Lightning didn't reply for a long while, "Please don't go to the Sheriff." He finally said, looking up at Red, "I can handle this. He'll be gone in a few days, I'll be fine."

Red stared at him for a long time, knowing full well he should drag him to the sheriff station now- or at least the doctor's office. He sighed quietly and released his shoulders before nodding in agreement. he knew how hard it was to go to the police, and how hard it is to testify against someone. He wouldn't go to the police, not now at least. Lightning nodded his thanks before waving and making his way back to his cozy cone. Red starred after him silently, a sadness and deep and the ocean was engulfing him.

He picked up his hose and went back to watering his flowers.

* * *

**chapter 2 yea**

**I'm not very good at writing intense scenes haha. enjoy.**


	3. gone

"Am I doing it right?" Lightning asked for the fifth time.

"Yes! You're doing fine!" Flo ground out, annoyed at his constant asking. She was to focused on her own chores to help him through every step of wiping down tables! Not to mention he had done it before, what was his problem now? He had vanished from their lives for a week with his Dad, but now his dad was gone and he was still acting all weird. He kept asking people if he was doing things right, not to mention his insane choice of clothes! It was summer in the middle of Arizona, why on earth was he wearing long sleeves?

But that wasn't the worst of it! Half the time he would be extremely compliant and the other half if you so much as coughed in his general direction he would snap your head off. It was infuriating and confusing. Why was he acting like this? Was it guilt? Did his Father's return remind him of all his ignored calls, or maybe his mother death? Flo just wanted to help, they all did, but just getting time alone with him was hard now. Doc had attempted to catch him after practice, but as soon as he started asking if Lightning was okay the boy flipped out and drove off for the night, and now he wouldn't even go to practice.

And Sally? Sally was a mess. She was worried sick over his lack of communication and affection, and when she had tried to seduce him the first day his Dad had left Lightning had physically pushed her out of his Cozy cone and closed the door. She had been angry at first, but as she considered the situation she began to get more and more concerned for her boyfriend's well being. His Father was coming back in a short amount of time, and Sally was hoping he could talk to him to figure out what could have triggered this.

They were losing him and they didn't know what to do.

"Hey, Lightning? That's enough for the night, how about you go home and get some rest?"

He smiled at her weakly and nodded. He put away the wash rag and made his way home. Flo hoped he actually did rest because he looked awful. The bags under his eyes grew each day, and with the insomnia came more mood swings which left everyone angry and annoyed at him and Flo knew the anger would only make him more moody... It was an endless cycle, and Flo just wanted it to stop. SHe huffed out a breath and mopped up the last bit of the floor before heading home.

* * *

Finn could tell something was wrong as soon as he set eyes on him.

He was a spy, for Pete's sake! He could see trouble from a mile away, and Lightning looked like hell with legs. He radiated bad aura and aggressive snapping, other time he felt like... well, he felt like nothing. He had no drive or motivation, he had no wants or desires. It was unsettling, and Finn was determined to get to the bottom of it, so he went out to research, and what he found was interesting.

Donahue hurricane McQueen. Son of Samuel Sun McQueen. It seemed that Nature names was a thing in his family, and if Finn remembered correctly Lightning had wanted to name his daughter Aspen specifically because it was the name of a tree, and he wanted his son's name to contain Cedar. Sally had seemed content with Aspen, but she didn't especially love Cedar.

Anyway, Donahue had married Clover Maylot, a young rebel who lived in Indiana and ruled her life with an iron fist and wouldn't change her plan of traveling the world for anyone- except maybe a small bundle of life she held in her uterus. It wasn't a pretty sight when she told her parents, but it could have been much worse. She could've gotten knocked up a sixteen, but at 21 she had a stable job and home, and with Donahue's added Mechanic salary they would be fine, nothing would get in there way of a good life. Except maybe Donahues temper. Multiple times the police were called in because of their constant shouting, but Clover had always told them everything was fine, and when the police showed up to see her face marred with a cut they took Donahue in for questioning, unfortunately she dropped the charges and got him back before they could find any incriminating evidence, but that was the last documented police call as they seemed to work everything out. He got picked up by a racing sponsor which improved his salary, Clover quit her job and the family of three traveled to races together, everything seemed peachy.

At least, that what they wanted you to think. Several interviews from Donahue's pit member commemorated him as a great boss, but admitted that they could often hear the two arguing or shouting in hushed tones around the tracks. One had even said that Donahue had shoved Clover once, but Donahue had simply explained that he had been having fun with his wife and no harm had been done. People had accepted the excuse readily, but looking at all the police cases and this seemingly isolated event? Finn doubted it could be a coincidence, but other people failed to see the flaws in their idols and this event was forgotten, but it wasn't long for another tragedy to strike. Clover had gotten pregnant only to lose the baby of undecided causes. The family had crumpled beneath the strain of the devastation her death wrought, and Donahue and Clover were heard screaming at each other before Clover took a plane out to her mothers in Florida hoping for a quiet getaway with her son, but soon enough she found herself drawn back in by her husbands comforting letters and joined him again once racing season was over.

And everything went smoothly for a long time, almost 5 years before another sadness decimated the last bit of love between the couple. Clover caught Donahue in bed with another woman, and in a fit of depression crashed her car into a ditch. Unfortunately, she didn't die on impact and was rushed to the hospital in a last-ditch effort to save her. They managed to keep her alive, but she was gone. And after three grueling months of waiting and hoping for her to wake up they knew they had nothing left to hope for. The doctor told them there was barely a chance she would wake up after so long, and after one last night they pulled the plug. Her funeral had been a week before Lightning's sixteenth birthday.

There was nothing in the file after that except Donahue's resignation and Lightnings sponsorship, and that should make Finn feel better but it doesn't. Something feels wrong, and Finn knows it. He had to get to the bottom of this, which means stepping right into the claw range of the tiger.

He needed to talk to Donahue.


	4. Drive

Lightning seemed happier when his father returned, but Mater had been his best friend for a long time and even as ignorant as he was he could see the exhaustion in his friends eyes. It wasn't easy to spot, but on the rare occasion when Lightning looked him in the eyes Mater saw a deep sadness and a strain that suggested he was carrying a heavy burden, and it wasn't always his eyes. When he smiled the corners of his mouth twitched unnaturally and his eyes didn't crinkle like they had before. He just wasn't... happy anymore, and it hurt Mater to the core.

In a fruitless attempt to cheer his friend up he asked Lightning to come 'tractor tipping' with him, and he tried to come up with another outrageous story to tell, but Lightning always blew him off with an excuse about hanging out with his dad, and when his dad was gone Lightning flat out said no. It hurt to see him suffering, but Mater couldn't do anything now. His dad was coming back in a few days, so maybe he could talk some sense into his son. And if he couldn't? Well, then no one can.

Mater pulled back out of the engine he was working on and banged his head on the hood in fright, "Gee, Lightning, You about gave me a heart attack!"

Lightning smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, bro. I was wondering if you wanted to go 'Tractor Tipping?'"

Mater grinned from ear to ear, It seemed like Lightning was getting better, "Sure! Let's go!"

Tractor tipping was a code name they used for when they just wanted to hang out. It could be anything from scaring cows on the local farms to late night swims in the oasis on the other side of town. Actually, a swim sounded like a great idea to Mater, and he was sure Lightning would like to go for a dip. It wasn't often that Lightning shared tidbits from his childhood, but he had confided in Mater that he had dreamed of being a swimmer in the Olympics but his dad had urged him to take up mechanics. Mater had felt a little cross at his dad for stifling his dream, but if he had become a swimmer Lightning would have never met mater or anyone of them.

"Well, I can go grab my swim trunks-"

"No." Lightning denied quickly and winced slightly at the thought. He smiled weakly at Mater and feebly attempted to play it off, "I've been swimming a few times with my dad, i'm not in the mood."

_You're lying_. It was on the tip of Maters tongue be he refrained from saying anything. This was a delicate path, and if he wanted to help Lightning then he had to keep him relaxed. "Alright, we can just go fer a drive then!" He smiled wide and hoped it didn't look fake.

Lightning looked almost like he regretted seeking out Mater but let himself be pulled along to him truck. Lightning had spent a surprising amount of time near beat-up old truck like his when he was a teen. Men would bring theirs into the shop a lot to be fixed and his mother used to have one. It was a roughed up old model painted like red velvet and rusting at the edges. His father had asked multiple time to buff out the rough edges but Clover had been adamant on keeping them, she insisted it gave the truck character and made it look loved. Donahue had conceded, but when she died he buffed them out and sold the car immediately.

Lightning was at home in his own race car, but he was completely and utterly free in Maters. His was so precise and perfect he had to watch for any scratches or dents that could ruin a good race, but it his rusty old pick up truck he was free to keep his eyes off the road, relax, and listen to the familiar sounds of a coughing and old engine that was barely making it. It was a refreshing and sad ride altogether. Lightning was stony and silent and Mater was unwilling to break the sliver of peace between them. Lightning had been volatile and isolated from him, and every time he tried to broach the subject it just turned int a big fight. It was sad and made them drift farther and farther.

ANd the thing is that his behavior was familiar. Mater had met someone who had acted the same way, and he just couldn't think of who. He couldn't figure it out but he knew it was important... Isolation, mood swings, insecurity, bouts of muteness, jumpiness, and the weird clothes. Who had been acting the same way? Who had been so messed up when Mater first met them?

The truck shuddered to a stop.

Lightning cast Mater a questioning glance, but Mater didn't cast him a second look because everything was falling into place. The weird behavior triggered by his Father being there, the behavior that was so reminiscent of Red. Red had come from a broken home and had taking sanctuary after the last trial that had put his abusive sister in jail. He had been broken and uncertain and grieving and so messed up because of all his hurts and Lightning was acting the same way. He way acting almost exactly like Red.

And oh god Mater didn't know how to handle this stuff. It had been Stanley who had helped Red, but now Stanley was gone and Lightning was here and red and raw and he didn't know what to do. Should he confront him? question him? Take him too the police station, or the hospital? he needed to... get his thoughts together, he started the truck again and Lightning shrugged off the stop as a Mater thing and continued to look out the window. Mater drove them into a large open flatland and got out, Lightning followed him in confusion.

"Mater..?" He questioned timidly and he couldn't keep silent any longer.

He spun around to face his best friend, "You know you can tell me anything, right?" He asked somberly as he wrapped his fingers around his wrists

"yeah..." He whispered, then added a little bit louder, "Yeah, of course."

"Lightning look around us. There's no one here, and there's no were to run." He watched as Lightning looked around nervously, "Now... Take off your shirt."

"What? No!" He laughed sourly, "I'm not gay." He smiled thinly and tugged lightly at his wrists.

"Lightning..." Mater pleaded. He wouldn't force his to show, but he needed to know if he was correct. He needed to know!

With sudden ferocity, Lightning yanked his wrists from his grip and frowned angrily at him, "No, Mater. There's nothing wrong, i'm not hurt. Just take me home." He marched back to the truck and got in and starred at the floor while Mater drove them home.

But there was something Lightning let slip when he was angry, because Mater had _never_ asked if he was hurt.


	5. Tall Tales

Lightning was nervous. Anyone could see it, he shifted and shuffled and tugged at his sleeves and scratched the back of his neck. He was anxious and tense, like he was waiting for something to happen. to explode and crash and burn, and it only got worse as days past. Several times Mater, Finn, Sally, or Flo would approach his Father to talk (and he knew they were talking about him) which only served to wind him up even more. Doc knew he shouldn't have him driving so tense and upset, but driving had always calmed him down and Doc hoped that would work now... And he'd try to give him some space. He'd seen what had happened last time. The boy had been friendly, but as soon as Doc had brought up his attitude Lightning had turned on him stormed off in a rage, even refusing to come to practices after that.

And Doc was worried. He was worried about Lightning getting heat stroke and he was worried about his diet (he had rarely seen Lightning eat anything for a while) and he was worried about the bruise he had seen when a bit of Lightnings shirt rode up and he was worried about his detached mannerisms and his mood swings. There was a sense of repressed anger and fear radiating off him, and he was harsher with his words... It was adding up to be something sinister and suspicious... And Doc needed... He didn't exactly know what he needed. There was an ache in his heart when he saw how Lightning was acting, a dull throb that made him want to sweep the racer into his arms and hold him until everything was alright again.

Now, Doc wasn't a family man. Juggling racing and relationships? It always just made him irritated and tried, so he decided to just not do it. Yes, there were times after the crash he wished he had someone to share his life with, but no one was really interested, and if they were he found them to be dull or uninteresting. Date after date with petty, shallow women really took the appeal out of falling in love, but that didn't stop him from wishing for... someone, and then sally had come along and she had been like a daughter to him... It seemed that he liked to take in strays, because the boy right in front of him was his son, too.

It felt weird to concede to that fact in him head. Initially he had not been warm to the kid at all, but after everything he had been willing to become the kids coach and now, apparently, he was his dad too. He really shouldn't call himself that, Lightning's father was in town, for god's sake! He had a dad that he loved, he even skipped practices for the man! but Doc couldn't help it. He needed to keep him safe like a rain forest needed rain... besides, there was something fishy about Lightnings Dad. Something off and unsettling. He was controlling. Doc could see it in the way he would tighten his grip against him when Mater or somebody invited him out to do something...

And here this boy was, right in front of him. Looking small and young. Doc opened his arms and leaned in suddenly, enveloping him in his arms. Lightning stiffened at the sudden contact before slowly hugging back.

"Doc..?"

"You're like a son to me, Lightning." He answered, "I'm glad Mater made me go after you."

He pulled back and smiled down at the red-head, "Let's get on the track now, okay?"

* * *

"Donahue? Could we talk?" Brown eyes flashed with something Doc couldn't name before a large smile broke out across his face.

"Of course! I was actually looking for you." His happy demeanor faded a bit, "There's something pretty serious I would like to talk to you about. could we go somewhere in private?"

Doc was a little startled by his forwardness, but nodded anyway and led him to his office in the medical center. Curiosity picked at the back of his brain, but he pushed it back an waited for Donahue to speak.

"I'm sure you've noticed my son's attitude?" He glanced at Doc for confirmation before continuing, "I... I know you and mu son are close. He's sees you as a father figure, and I want the best for him, so I'm going to tell you something... Something that should have been known a long time ago." He sat down heavily and rubbed his forehead.

"I suggest you sit down for this." He ordered tiredly, and after Doc had pulled up a chair (and pulled out a glass of whiskey) he began his story.

"My wife was a wonderful woman. Clover was strong and sure of her dreams, that is... Before I knocked her up. She had been upset over Lightnings birth because it kept her from seeing the world as she had dreamed, but i loved her and I though she had loved me too... But she had a temper, a big one at that, and when he got angry... SHe would lash out and Me and Lightning."

Doc listened to the story, and several times had to take a moment to gather his thoughts. How could... how could a Mother hurt her son? How could she beat him and his father? How could she be so cruel? And Donahue... poor Donahue. He was sure he could fix her, make her _happy,_ but destiny had other ideas and she had been killed in a car accident after she had left the house in a drunken rage. Donahue had spared him nothing, leaving in every detail and every stupid mistake. He admitted he had been dumb and scared and had just wanted everything to work out. He hadn't realized the extent f her damage, and now... now Lightning was traumatized every time he spoke to his father. He was broken and Donahue was trying to fix it... but he just seemed to make everything worse.

"I messed up, Doc, and now I don't know what to do." He wiped the moisture from his eyes and frowned at the floor.

Doc reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder in comfort, "You just have to be there for him, and you've got to help him heal." He said wisely before giving his shoulder a squeeze.

He knew it was a breach of privacy, but the others deserved to know. Lightning was pushing them away and they didn't understand. They _needed_ to understand. They needed to get it, and they needed to help. So they would let him know they knew and they would help him heal.

* * *

**Doc isn't the best at dealing with trauma victims, but whatever. Also, this just in: Donahue is a piece of trash. He had everyone thinking Clover was a bad mother when it was the other way around, and Donahue may be a good actor but his elaborate play is about to crumble around him!**


	6. Boiling point

Lightning felt sick. The world spun and tilted and he took heaving gulps of air, it seemed the lack of food was finally getting to him. A few moment more and he was fine, the world evened out and his eyes came into focus, but he still took several moment to breathe and calm himself down, he couldn't throw up what little food he had eaten, but his stomach tied itself in knots over what had just transpired. His wrists had been almost healed, but even now he could see the dark bruises blooming barely small enough to be covered by a sleeve... Donahue had the _audacity_ to bring sally into this? How... How dare he! She had nothing to do with Mothers death! Rage build for a moment, then dispersed when a sharp hunger pane stabbed his stomach. He ignored it, it would go away eventually like the others had.

He gathered himself from the toilet in him room and starred at himself in the mirror. Red hair. So bright it was almost orange. A constant reminder, a stupid curse. Bags under his eyes and exhaustion in his frame. He had to do something. He had to stop him, but he was so tired and weak... Donahue had said he was going to leave in a few days, and he promised to stay gone. But isn't that what he said last time? Isn't that what he always says? And if you fight he'll hurt sally! Lightning liked to think his Father had boundaries, but he knew given the chance he would hurt her, and without remorse too. He had to keep her safe.

A knock on the door, Lightning tensed, "Lightnin'?" he relaxed. Mater. He opened the door and Donahue was standing with Mater, a cruel smile curled his lips where Mater couldn't see, but Mater looked sad. "Come on." he whispered sadly, before pulling the boy along with him, Lightning followed without a word.

Out of his cozy cone and across the parking lot he was pulled, and he saw Red where he usually was and asked him with his face if he knew what was going on. Red's eyes knitted together and he shook his head, before slowly beginning to trail after them. Lightning felt reassured that Red was there, but something was up and they obviously didn't want Red to know about it... What could it be? Did they find out about Donahues abuse!? Are they going to save him!? Hope filled him momentarily before being crushed when he realized there was no way Mater would even let Donahue touch his shoulder let alone be near him if he knew... But that raised the same question, what could they possibly want to talk to him about?

Everyone was gathered in Ramone's shop in metal fold-able chairs, they all looked like they were carrying heavy burdens with them, and sally looked like she had just finished crying. Alarm shot through Lightning like an electric shock. Had Donahue followed through on his threat to hurt her? Oh god please no! worry ate at his brain, DOnahue wouldn't have! Not yet! He moved to comfort her but Doc stood in his way, "Whats going on?" Lightning demanded, still trying to get to Sally.

"Lightning." At Docs tone Lightning turned and looked at him and began to worry when he saw his eyes were watering, "Kid... Look... we-" He stumbled with his words for a moment before taking a deep breath, "We _know_ about your Mom."

Lightning stared at him for a moment, confusion etched in his face. Of course they knew about his mom! He told them that she died in a car crash, why were they mourning her death now? It had been years ago! "Um...? Okay? I told you she died a while ago?"

"No, Lightning, we know about what she did to you." Finn clarified bluntly. Lightning knew Finn was upset about something, he only used that tone when he was trying to keep himself from doing something irrational... His breathe chilled and he thought he may have figured it out. "What _did_ she do to me?" His lips felt like they weren't his own. He was just a puppet with broken strings. His eyes felt heavy and the world started to spin, rage clouded his brain and hunger burned his stomach. His legs shook and his arms ached, his chest rattled and rage boiled his blood.

"We know she abused you." He can't identify the voice but he knows what it said and his world turned red. Everything sharpened into perfect syncs and he could hear his own breathing. Oh how angry he was! Every suppressed emotion swelled to the top of his throat and he felt his fists clench. He turned to his father slowly and smiled softly, before cocking back his arm and releasing every bit of rage he ever felt into that punch. It knocked his father back and things were frozen for a split second before he leapt upon his father with a roar. He couldn't breather the world was crushing him and he had to hurt something and had to beat and hit and scratch and bite. Arms grabbed him and pulled, tugged gently trying to pry him from his father when a fist hit him hard in his jaw. He rebounded instantly and kept up his vicious attack until someone strange and firm grabbed him and slid him off the scumbag who had dared ever call him his father.

"_I Hate you!_ I hate youihateyouihateyoui_hate_you!" He was crying, "All you've _ever done_ is hurt me and my mom and now you have the _gall_ to tell them it was _her_!?" He felt sick, "How _dare_ you! How fucking **_dare_** you!" He starred at his father. He drank in his bloody nose and scratch and bite marks and lunged at him again but the arms held strong, "I Wish you were _dead_! I wish I could put you in a box and ship you to Antarctica!" He was shaking violently, "Stay _away_ from me! Leave! **_Mom was too good for you!" _**

Fire boiled in Donahue's eyes at being told his slut of a wife was better than him! Faster than a blink he was across the room holding Lightnings mouth hard enough to bruise, "Don't speak to your father that way!" He hissed dangerously, Lightning bit his hand so hard it drew blood.

"I have no Father!" He shouted, and with one hard slap he passed out and all hell broke loose

* * *

**Aw yeah now every knows he's a douchebag! Holla! Any one or two more chapters and we'll be done! how sadly exciting, thank you all for your reviews!**


	7. waking up

Donahue looked down at his son all dressed in black. Hie mothers funeral had been hours ago, but the boy still stood vigil over he grave. He didn't understand his son. He didn't understand his pain, but he knew he wouldn't. He would have only understood if he had truly loved Clover, but time and time again he proved that he didn't. He didn't care for her bastard son either, but the kid was 15 and could come in handy for beer runs or something he could take his frustrations out on... he hadn't know Donahue's true wrath, but now that there was no one left to protect him...

he grabbed his son's wrist hard and pulled him from the grave. He was almost upset that he didn't struggle. it made everything so much less fun, and after a day full of pretending he cared he wanted some fun. he yanked his son farther and farther away, and when they were in the car he turned to his son and frowned angrily.

"This would have never happened if you weren't born." He hissed, and watched as his son finally looked up at him, "SHe wouldn't have been out driving if you had just done what you were told."

Lightning had been the one to tell his mother that there was a strange woman in the house, and he would surely believe he had killed her. Now he wouldn't fight or run, he would take his punishment like a man. Lightning hadn't killed his mother, of course not!

Donahue had been the one who cut the breaks.

* * *

He woke up quickly, like he always did. Eyes springing open and body already in motion to block another hit, another bruise, another scar when he registered that he wasn't home. He lowered his arms slowly and looked around at the sad faces that surrounded him. Sally had fallen asleep in a hospital chair with her head resting against the bed, but had woken at his sudden movements, mater was also there and he smiled weakly at the racer. It would have been stronger if not for the bruise that had bloomed across his cheek from a unblocked punch. Doc was there too, sad eyed and bruised too. Red had been hanging back, but moved forward with concern when lightning jumped up in defense.

he was in doc's clinic. The walls were white and the sheets were stiff and sterile. He had multiple wraps around his body, and he shifted his arm in surprise to see it in a cast. He tried to sit up but stopped quickly when a shooting pain ran through his chest. he frowned and glanced at Doc for help.

"He broke two of your ribs. I had to re-break and set them correctly." Lightning nodded, and silence settled again.

Sally opened her mouth for a moment, he eyes swam with tears and sadness, then she closed her mouth again. at a loss for words.

No one said a thing. no one knew what to say. there was nothing they could say.

Finn peeked in slightly and frowned at his wakefulness. He thought Lightning would be out longer than this... he really should still be resting. He took quite a few hits, not to mention it would have spared him some pain. plus, it would have given him more time to tell him what had happened... the... tragedy wasn't a correct word. not for Donahue, never for Donahue.

"Lightning." He greeted softly as he entered the room, "How do you feel?"

The racer just stared at him blankly, "Not the smartest question, I know." Finn sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sure you want to know what happened after your fainting?"

Lightning straightened up, giving Finn his full attention, "Your father is dead." Finn said bluntly.

"Finn!" Mater objected, but Finn wasn't paying attention to him.

He saw emotions flash across Lightning face. Sadness, anger, relief, hate, exhaustion, and a million others. He stared down at his lap before a weird sound escaped his mouth. It sound like a mi between a sob and a laugh. After a few moment he began to laugh, really laugh like he'd just heard the greatest joke in the world. He flung his arm across his eyes and sank back down into his pillows. His laughter echoed in the small room, but Finn could see the trail of tears dripping down his face.

The laughter slowed, "I'm such a bad person." Lightning rasped. He let out a few more chuckles, "Is it bad that i'm relieved?"

"No." Doc said firmly, "Never."

more silence.

"How?" lightning asked quietly, no one wanted to answer.

"He was going to kill you." Finn remembered in perfect detail how he held the blade against the throat of his sons lifeless body, how he laughed and smiled and promised that is he was going down he'd take his son with him, "I got my gun and shot his straight between the eyes." he remembered red crying because he had left lightning unguarded, and it had almost cost the red head his life.

lightning closed his eyes, "Please get out." his balled his hand into fists, "All of you."

They honored his request and left. Sally kissed his uninjured hand softly, before following the rest.

when they were gone, truly gone, Lightning laughed again, before succumbing to his drugs and sleeping again.

* * *

**we almost done kids! maybe two more chapters, but probably only one! idk yet we have to wait and find out haha. Thanks for all the lovely reviews and support, i love you guys!**


	8. healing

the next few weeks passed by in a blur to Lightning. he took his story to the media, and more importantly a therapist, and told everyone what he had went through in the hopes that he could stop some childs' heartache. It never got easier to retell the story, but he had friends there to help and support him on the road to recovery. people applauded him for his bravery to speak out against child abuse and share his story, and some... some didn't believe.

Donahue McQueen had a large fan base as he had been one of the best racers of his time and when Lightning had first taken an interview about it there had been outrage. they had called him a liar, a slanderer, and a cheapskate. They had ridiculed his story and mocked him openly on their websites and occasionally to his face. They had said it was simply a way to gain more positive publicity. they said that since Lightning had turned over a new leaf he needed to get rid of the bad past he held onto, and what better way than this? but their accusations were weak and held little ground. Strip weathers, of "The King" as most people knew him, had actually called him up and asked to talk to him about it.

It had been weird being invited to Strips house and telling the King his story, but Lightning had vowed to himself that he would keep silent no longer! it had been decidedly more difficult to talk to Strip than lightning had thought it would be, but what did he expect? it was going to be hard. He was just glad Strip wasn't one of the men who thought he was lying. He commemorated lightnings courage, and explained bluntly that he wanted to start a charity for his cause. He had known someone a long time ago who needed a safe place to go, and Strip wanted to start something that could give them that safe place. Lightning had agreed wholeheartedly and given strip his personal email and phone number as a contact and left to go to another interview.

But doc was worried. He always seemed to be worried now a day... the racer was running himself ragged. interview after interview then off to plan with strip then all-nighters pulled with the intention of writing a book on how to recognize abuse victims and how to handle the situations and it was killing him! he downed coffee and painkillers in a ridiculous amount, he wasn't even fully healed yet! Doc knew he was being a bit irrational... Lightning knew his body better than he did, and a real doctor had cleared him for stuff like this, but Doc still sat on the sidelines and chewed his nails into stubs...

Sally had been supportive as ever, but he could see even she was running thin trying to keep up with Lightning. He was trying to distract himself and she was trying to help him heal. She sat up with him while he wrote and rewrote and dragged him into bed when he could barley stand. She brought him meals when he forgot and re wrapped his woulds when he neglected too. She stayed when he needed her and she gave him space when he wanted it. he was lucky to have her, and he didn't even realize how lucky he was. Zooming around pushing himself so hard that he would give himself headaches and she was always there with Tylenol and a good meal. Jeez, couldn't he just slow down and heal?

His therapist had admitted to him in private that he wasn't doing the best when it came to facing his problems and dealing with them. He was bottling up his emotions and he was going to burst. Finn had tried to talk to him, and so had Mater, but they hadn't made much head way... He was hurting. He was reeling from the loss of a family member. No matter how crummy his dad had been, he was still Lightnings Father, and it hurt him on some level knowing he would never see him again. Lightning was sitting across Flo's diner in a booth alone, reading something on his laptop. By the look on his face it wasn't good. He stood up abruptly and swiped the machine off his desk. He marched out the door and disappeared. Doc followed him in curiosity.

He found him out back, with the shattered remains of a laptop scattered around his feet. He was breathing hard and his eyes were red like he had been rubbing them, trying to keep tears at bay.

"Are you alright?" Doc asked cautiously, not wanting to provoke the boy.

Lightning scrubbed his face angrily, "I Don't know." he huffed out before fully putting his head in his hands, "I don't know." He repeated quieter.

Doc shifted forward and engulfed him in his arms. This moment had been long over due, and Lightning sagged in his arms as the weight of keeping himself distracted finally settled onto his shoulders. His body shook and Doc felt as if something had changed within the moments he had been standing over a broken computer to in his arms. it was like a open wound across their relationship was finally beginning to heal. Donahue's death and Lightnings recovery had made him distant, but right now it felt like everything was falling into place once more.

"Why'd you destroy the laptop?" He asked after an eternity.

Lightning shifted his head to look at the wreckage in an uninterested manner, "They were saying bad stuff about you." He admitted sadly.

"They were saying- Doc they were saying you were the one that hurt me." He buried his face back into Doc chest, seeking comfort, "They were saying I was just trying to cover up your injuries using my dad."

Doc shook his head sadly, "I wish it'd been me."

Lightning jerked away slightly but Doc quickly backtracked when he realized his mistake, "No, no, that's not what I meant! Sorry." He patted Lightning head awkwardly, " I meant that i wish it'd been me that'd finally ended that son of a bitch. Finn had a better shot than I did, but i sure do wish i'd draw my gun faster."

Lightning pulled away and nodded at him, smiling slightly, "I wish it had been you too. It would have been..." He screwed up his face looking for the right words, "...Poetic, I guess. My real dad killing my fake dad. Sounds like something Shakespeare would write."

Doc smiled warmly down at Lightning, who had just called him his real dad... he had called him his dad! His father! His pop, papa, padre... Calm down Doc, calm down. Play it cool, like you always do!

"C'mon, why don't we go 'round the track?" He pulled his son away from the glass bits of the computer and smiled.

There was still a lot of work to be done. He still had a long way to go in recovery, but it seemed he had finally given in to the healing process... and if he struggled, he had his friends... his _family_ there to help him through it.

* * *

**last chapter! The end! :) im glad Lightning is happy with his dad :)))**


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